Eighty-Fourth Day of School

A quote from blogs-past:

"FYI: A book was read about Santa Mouse (a treasury from childhood) to the children. A child asked after the story 2 was finished the other day, 'Are you sure that's true?' Hmm....So the legend goes, that if you should happen to find a small (tiny) gift tucked somewhere in your tree, perhaps tied with a yellow bow, then you will know that Santa Mouse has been to your house. *Shrugs* I don't know, it's just what I heard. Who knows how these stories get started?"

No questions were asked as in years passed; maybe all was accepted as fact *shrugs*.

Eighty-Second Day of School

No homework tonight.

We will take Topic 7 Math Test on Thursday.

If you would like to donate a treat to our holiday celebration, contributions are greatly appreciated. District guidelines dictate that treats should be store bought. Setup for the occasion will begin around 11:30 on Friday.

Topic 6 Test Results

Of 20 scored tests, 15 passed with an adjusted score of 10 or better; 6 were perfect scores and 2 missed only one.

Seventy-Fourth Day of School

The district tests we are presently taking measure students' current fluency and retell ability as well some basic decoding readiness.

The first grade teachers have decided that first graders will wear dark (black) colored pants and a white top for the winter performance.

Students have in their possession the 4th stanza of our poem to be memorized. The fifth stanza will likely be brought home on Wednesday (time permitting), leaving only one stanza to be brought home next week (the second stanza in proper order).

Unit 3 Week 4 Preview

We will be discussing how we can be creative and resourceful and likewise how the characters in our selections exhibit these characteristics and what it is that inspires them. Our vocabulary words for this week are create, hobby, inspire, resourceful, structure. Among our selections this week is a fantasy by Harry Horse called A Friend for Little Bear, in which a resourceful toy bear learns the importance of friends over collecting possessions. Another selection is Karen Lynn Williams' story Galimoto about a resourceful child in Africa who has to make his own toys from found objects.

Our comprehension strategy will be making inferences in order to draw conclusions, our comprehension skill. Our sight words will be after done, find, old, new, work.

We will also be working on our midyear reading assessment battery.

We will continue with final silent 'e' long vowel spellings for the remaining vowels along with open syllable long vowels as well as the remaining stanza of our vowel poem.

In Science we will be beginning our unit on weather.

In Visual Arts we will focus on color as a second element of art.

In Drama, we will continue with characterization and working from a script.

Unit 3 Week 3 Preview

Our focus this week related to the theme is having fun while creating. Some students will work on creating a riddle/joke book for an additional Unit Project. We will encode and decode with the digraphs ch, tch, wh, ph. Our sight words this week are every, from, into, people, soon, your. Oral vocabulary words are original, talented, astonishing, complicated, continue. We will summarize for a comprehension strategy using main ideas and details for a comprehension skill.

In Social Science we continue to compare the past and the present.

We will begin our mid-year reading evaluation this week.

Sixty-Ninth Day of School

Students will have the 3rd stanza of their poem (the 2nd will come later) in their possession today.

Today we made predictions based on the style and characterization of this week's main selection Smile, Mike! We then confirmed, or rather invalidated, our predictions. By making predictions, it makes us active readers more likely to comprehend and build greater understand of the material we read.

Earlier this week we experimented with rhythm and movement in PE and today we practiced throwing, catching and bounce passing to a partner.

In Art, we explored the element of line by practicing different types of lines and then seeing how various artists used line in their compositions.

For discussion:

What are some different types of lines which artists might incorporate into a drawing? (straight, curved, wavy, zigzagged, horizontal, vertical, broken, thick, thin, diagonal)

Reminder:

Although it doesn't show up on today's classwork or homework, based on the Common Core standards, 1st grade students are responsible for understanding and manipulating the equal sign to generate 8 balanced equations for a given set of related numbers.

• 5 + 6 = 11
• 6 + 5 = 11
• 11 - 5 = 6
• 11 - 6 = 5
• 11 = 5 + 6
• 11 = 5 + 5
• 5 = 11 - 6
• 6 = 11 - 5 

 

 

 

Unit 3 Week 2 Preview

This week we ask the question: What do family members do with one another to have fun? Our comprehension skill focus will be to make and confirm predictions using the strategy of analyzing story structure. We will take a brief look at alliteration (consonance). We will continue our exploration with long vowel spellings in particular: long vowel-u spelled 'u_e' (cube, fuse) and 'open syllable with u' (future, amusing). In grammar we will examine present-tense verbs.

Our oral vocabulary words are typical, possessions, connections, relief, and support. Our high-frequency words are call, funny, how, more, so, there.

As you read with your child at home, please continue to predict and confirm as you read (What do you think will happen? Do you think Goldilocks will get caught?). When finishing a fiction selection or chapter, ask your child to confirm predictions and summarize what happened. When reading a nonfiction selection, have your child state the main idea and details.

As some students continue to complete last unit's projects, some students are beginning this unit's projects. Some students will be working together to create a game and write directions on how to play. Additionally, some students may choose to author a joke book and get filmed telling their favorite funny story.

We will learn another of the five stanzas of our vowel poem this week.

In Social Science we will continue to compare the past and the present. We will also work towards understanding our location in the world while learning the continents and the oceans (tested). We will compare globes and maps.

In Visual Art, we will begin our exploration of the basic elements of art beginning with line.

We are continuing to introduce ourselves to the basics of drag-and-drop Java programming.

In Drama, we are combining all the skills we have learned so far to tell a story using dialogue.

For one of our PE lessons we will explore rhythm and movement.

Topic 5 Test Results

Of 22 tests graded, 21 achieved a passing score with an unprecedented 14 perfect scores. Everyone increased their performance level so a special treat has been earned.

Sixty-Fifth Day of School

Class President speeches have been edited and stored on to respective flash drives.

Students are bringing home a hand-written copy of the first stanza of a poem they will be memorizing (1.SL.4.a).

Topic 5 Math Test will be taken on Friday.

There are still some Reading Logs which need to be returned (Aug, Sep, Oct) for the first reporting period. As stated at Back-to-School Night, in order to earn a 3 on the homework grade all Reading Logs must be turned in. Grades for the first reporting period will be finalized on Thursday morning. Those students still missing 1 or more logs were told of the missing assignment(s).

Unit 3 Week 1 Preview

In our new unit we will be exploring fun and laughter. In the first week we ask what makes us laugh and how do we make other people laugh. Our oral vocabulary is amuse, delighted, humorous, mood, ridiculous. Our reading sight words are away, school, today, way, why. For spelling we will focus on 'long-a' spellings. We will listen to and generate rhyme. We will use a Flow Map to generate a retell. We will incorporate time-order cues and words into our retell.

In Social Science we will discuss good sportsmanship and rules (HSS 1.1.2) We will also learn the basic components of a simple map.

In Science we will begin studying the elements of weather.

Unit 2 Week 5 Preview

For the next few instructional days we will ask what neighbors do together for fun. Our oral vocabulary words will be: audience, entertain, brilliant, enjoy, perform. Our sight words will be: all, put, show, together, under, want. In phonics we will be introduced to the digraphs 'sh,' and 'th'. We will again generate retells and summaries of our selections using visualization and Flow Maps

Fifty-Eighth Day of School

Reminder: It would be helpful if no one wore green on Monday.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.

Fifty-Seventh Day of School

Some students who have completed their Informational Writing Unit Project have begun to learn Java Script computer coding using "drag and drop" technology.

Five students have completed their Unit Project. The projects are posted in the classroom.

Fifty-Second Day of School

District Math Tests have been scored and are available for review in the classroom. The 4 questions were scored on a rubric with 4 points maximum for each question making 4 the lowest overall score possible (1 point for each question) to 16 the highest attainable score possible (4 points for each question).

Week 12 fluency scores will be compiled and posted in the classroom by Wednesday.

Science and Social Science Tests

Students have taken their notes home to study.

Concepts for the Social Science test:

• Our climate and environment dictates the nature of needs. People who live in cold climates will need warmer clothes and shelter. Children will do different things for fun depending on their climate.
• Living beings have specific survival needs: air, water, food, and shelter (necessarily in that order).
• Some occupations/businesses provide goods (market, bakery, toy store) some provide services (library, bank, salon).
• A tradition is an activity (behavior) that is often repeated through generations. In the United States, many people celebrate holidays such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter, and Independence Day (Fourth of July).
• We can find differences and similarities in the past and the present.
• Education/School: 
• In the past, many schools only had one room with one teacher teaching several grades without computers.
• In the present, teachers and students of the same age use computers to learn in schools with many rooms.
• Transportation:
• In the past, people used beasts of burden/animal power for their transportation needs.
• In the present, most forms of road transportation use fuel powered engines.
• Commerce/Stores:
• In the past, people may have shopped in "general stores" which sold a variety of goods and services.
• In the present, there are many more specialty-type stores (grocery stores, clothing stores, toy stores, etc.).

Students will have the opportunity to explain their understanding of the Social Science principles with words and labeled pictures.

Concepts for the Science Test:

• There are 3 states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
• Matter can change from one state to another by adding or removing heat.
• Some examples of solids are: stone, wood, paper, rubber, and ice.
• Some examples of liquids are: water, gasoline, and milk.
• Some examples of gases are: steam, oxygen, and helium.
• Forms of matter have observable properties;
• liquids take the shape of their container and can be colorless, opaque, bubbly, viscous, transparent, translucent, etc.
• solids do not take the shape of their container and can be hard, cold, soft, flexible, rigid, etc.

Unit 2 Week 4 Preview

Continuing our exploration of families and neighbors, we ask the question: what is a home? Our oral vocabulary words are collapse, company, construct, entire, and material. Our high-frequency focus words are again, could, make, one, then, three. For spelling we will focus on short-vowel 'u'. Our grammar rule will be proper nouns and capitalization.

For discussion: What constitutes a home? (A family or dweller, the building materials, and the neighborhood or community.)

Week 12 fluency assessments will be administered this week.

Reading logs due Friday.

Reminders:

Every year Room 11 has the tradition of electing a class president. This supports the government portion of our Social Science standards. Those students interested in running for Room 11 Class President 2014-15 will work on a speech at home to be delivered to the class on November 3, 2014. Speeches will be filmed using chroma key technology and saved to flash drives.

Students who would like to have their videos edited, will make sure they are not wearing any shade of green in any part of their outfit.

On this day we will also try to film our expert interviews. Those students wanting their interviews to be edited will also need to remember not to wear green on that Monday. Make sure to practice these and these questions to improve oral fluency.

Topic 4 Math Test Results

Of 22 recorded tests taken, 18 students passed with a score of 12 or better, with 3 perfect scores and 1 near perfect 22.

Soon we will begin taking timed math fact tests. Tomorrow we will take the first portion of the district math test.

Unit 2 Week 3 Preview

We begin looking at maps to find our place in the neighborhood, city, state, country, and world. We review the strategies of finding main idea and details to aid comprehension and continue our work with summarizing. Our oral vocabulary words are amazed, frequently, service, useful, variety. Our sight words are live, many, out, place. In spelling we take a look at blends with 's' and 'r' (spill, still, grab, drip).

We will review concepts learned so far in Science and Social Studies in preparation for testing.

Topic 3 Math Test this week.

Forty-Third Day of School

In Social Science today, we learned how living in a different climate can change one's lifestyle and alter one's needs (food, clothing, shelter)(tested).

We were also joined by Principal Brooks for our writing lesson today on editing/proofreading for punctuation and run-on sentences.

In language arts we worked in teams to compose concise summaries of this weeks selection, The Little Red Hen. Our work is posted in the classroom for interested parents. It was interesting to see how man ways a simple story could be concisely summarized by 1st graders.

Remember to practice writing (saying) summaries at home. Try this: Read aloud a story as a family. Have everyone in the family write a concise summary. See who can write the most concise (fewest words) summary or the most interesting. Then, work together to write a group summary. Make sure to include all elements including theme. Look here for a more detailed explanation of summary. If you subscribe to Netflix, there are many examples (both good and bad) of concise summaries used as movie descriptions.

Keep in mind a non-fiction informative-piece (article, documentary) summary has a somewhat different structure. It will often tell how the author's information was collected, possibly how the information is organized, and the author's purpose for the work's creation.

Cumulative Math Practice (Important)

• A family of 7 walks through the park together. Two parents are followed by their children.  How many children are there? Explain your thinking using pictures (a model), numbers or words. Write a number sentence that shows how you solved the problem.
• Greg says, "It's easy to do subtraction; just use addition." He says, " To solve 8-5= _, just add 8+5." Explain how Greg is right and wrong using words, pictures, and numbers.
• Vanna is confused by this problem: _=12-5. Write 2 addition number sentences that might help her understand and solve it. Also, use words, pictures, or numbers.
• In the classroom, there are 8 friends playing a game. Some more classmates join them. Now there are 10 playing together. How many friends came? Write an addition and a subtraction sentence to match the story. Use the same numbers to write 3 more number sentences.

Please comment below or contact the teacher if you have any questions.

At-Home Project

Every year Room 11 has the tradition of electing a class president. This supports the government portion of our Social Science standards. Those students interested in running for Room 11 Class President 2013-14 will work on a speech at home to be delivered to the class. Speeches will be due on Monday November 3rd. Voting will take place on Tuesday November 4th. Credit for this At-Home Project will count towards the second reporting period.

Unit 2 Week 2 Preview

This week we discuss cooperation and our role in helping out. We discuss families and neighbors working together to help each other. Our oral vocabulary words are appreciate, partner, cooperate, responsibility, and delectable. This week we will continue with the comprehension strategy of summarizing. We will focus on short vowel 'e' (tell, went) in spelling and touch on long 'o' spelled 'o_e' (hope, note). Our sight vocabulary words are eat, no, of, some, who. For grammar we will pluralize nouns requiring '-es' (lunches, dishes).

 It is expected for parents to know the neighborhood worker of their child's choosing and to be discussing the tools, dress, and duties of the worker in order to facilitate and improve writing fluency. 

In Social Science we will discuss at length how physical environments affect the way people live (food, shelter, clothing, transportation, recreation) (HSS 1.2.4) (tested). We will compare the environments of Alaska, Spain, and California.

Notes on Topic 4 Math

In case you haven't noticed, this topic in math is about process, or strategies to help solve math equations. As discussed at Back-to-School Night, children should memorize and be fluent with doubles facts. One parent asked that evening, "How far?" The response was: "As far as possible; at least to 20" (2+2, and 3+3, etc.).

The reason for this is that many of the other strategies depend on a child knowing these facts quickly. If a child knows 6+6, then it is not a far leap to 6+7. Likewise if faced with 6+8 (numbers separated by 2) this can be thought of as 7+7 since 1 from the 8 given to the 6 will make 7 and 7. Hence, 7+9 is like 8+8 and so forth. These strategies are only employed for numbers separated by 1 or 2 since there are better strategies for numbers with greater differences, such as making ten. That means that it is also greatly important (as discussed) that the children also know the parts of 10 fluently (i.e., 1 and 9, 2 and 8, etc.).

Not to mention the fact that following this topic, we will begin our speed math tests. If children do not have to rely on the very slow strategy of counting on their fingers, they should be able to pass math fact tests with greater ease.

Unit 2 Week 1 Preview

Our weekly themes in this second unit will center around our families and our neighbors having already examined ourselves, our abilities, and our growth. Our last idea about teams was that families are the most important kind of team. This week, we will explore the idea of families taking care of each other. For a Unit Project students will focus on a worker of their choice and write an expository piece about them. Our oral vocabulary words are guide, protect, provide, separate, wild. Our sight words are her, our, they, two. Our comprehension strategy this week will be to focus on summarizing a selection. We learn to summarize by developing the skill of distinguishing main ideas from details. Summarizing a selection is a different skill than a retell. Where a retell would be to tell a story in our own words with as much interesting detail as possible, a summary isolates only the most important ideas answering the basic questions of who? what? where? when? why? and perhaps how? This story is about a girl walking in the forest who seeks food and rest in the home of 3 bears. In phonics and spelling, will take a more detailed look at some long vowel spellings this week beginning with 'a_e'  (cane) and 'i_e' (ride) along with inflectional ending '-ed'. In grammar we will discuss sentence subjects and nouns.

For Social Science we will continue comparing and contrasting the past with the present (HSS 1.1.4) (tested). We will examine photos of schools long ago.

In Science we will explore a liquid which seems to possess some properties of a solid.

In PE we will combine several skills practiced so far to play a fast-paced, high-energy game of sockball.

Topic 3 Math Test Results

Of 23 recorded tests, 19 students passed with an adjusted score of 12 or better. Two students achieved a perfect score.

Thirty-Fifth Day of School

No homework tonight.

We took the Topic 3 Math Test today. We also worked on our 4th Math Report counting collections.

Reminder: Do not send candy as a snack for nutrition.

Thirty-Fourth Day of School

There is no homework today. Prepare for Math Test.

For Oral Language practice:

• How did Roberto Clemente grow up?
• What was he known for?
• What type of person was Roberto Clemente?
• What did Roberto Clemente want to do once he achieved his dream?
• How did Roberto Clemente die?

These are the questions we generated for Oral Language practice and every child should be able to answer these questions in detailed complete sentences (graded).

Thirty-Third Day of School

Homework due today turned out to be bonus homework. Only half the class turned it in completed correctly so a new assignment on the same concept was assigned today for reinforcement for the test. We will review for the test tomorrow and take Topic 3 test on Thursday.

Today we learned about American Hero Roberto Clemente as our second notable American from the past. Tomorrow we will generate and post questions for oral language practice.

Please continue to retell "small moment" memorable stories (from their list) with your child to facilitate writing during workshop at school. Some students are having some difficulty articulating a memorable story fluently.

Please remember that school shoes should have some type of fastener for safety. Slip on style shoes are really not adequate for our purposes. 

Thank you to those parents that signed and returned their Unsatisfactory Notices. Some parents have come in for a conference already. Please remember that any day but Tuesdays are available for meeting. If you have any concerns about your child's progress, it may be a better time to come in for a conference now rather than at the October conference time.

At home practice activity: practice spelling words which have final consonant blend spelling patterns like, -nk, -nd, -nt, -st, -ft, etc. 

Unit 1 Week 5 Preview

We close out the unit discussing what we like to do with our friends and what we can accomplish with teamwork. Our oral vocabulary words are challenging, charity, admire, focus, offer. We will read, discuss, and generate question for a non-fiction selection about baseball and humanitarian great, Roberto Clemente. We will use our generated questions to conduct expert interviews about Roberto Clemente. Our sight words are help, now, use, very. We will develop our skill of identifying the author's purpose to develop the comprehension strategy of analyzing text structure. We will analyze texts where authors use description to give information. We will focus on final consonant blends (eg. -nk, -nt, -sk, -st, etc.) for decoding, and spelling.

For Social Science we will discuss the significance of Independence Day (HSS 1.3.2) and some national iconic symbols (HSS 1.3.3) (tested).

In P.E. we will be using teamwork to accomplish various goals as well as chasing and learning base running.

In Science we continue our exploration of matter with our second investigation of liquids.

For our upcoming unit it will be necessary for students to focus on a particular occupation of their choosing. Parents should be aware of their child's choice and possibly help their child research information about that occupation. Your child will need to know and be able to articulate where a person in the selected profession works, what they they wear, what tools they use, and what task they perform for an informational writing unit project.

Thirty-First Day of School

In Science today, we investigated different liquids to generate a list of some of their properties (tested). We discussed how our descriptions and words related to the language of the discipline through words like translucent, transparent, opaque, and viscous.

Yesterday we worked in pairs to complete our second math report of the year. We counted and recorded our counting methods of various collections of small items in order to build number sense (1.NB.1; 1.NB.2). Our focus for the activity was working cooperatively, planning, and choosing appropriate counting tools. The focus of subsequent counting reports will be accuracy and replicability of recorded data.

We will take Math Topic 3 test on Wednesday.

At home activity: practice spelling words with initial consonant blends like, sl-, cl-, bl-, fl-, st-.

You may find a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance with your child today. Please sign and remove bottom portion of the notice and return with your child to verify receipt. It is not necessary to discuss the contents of the notice with your child. I am available for after school conferences any day except Tuesdays after school. The dates for official parent conferences will be the week of the 13th of October.

Unit 1 Week 4 Preview

During week 4 we will tread lightly on the subject of pets. We will read/listen to various selections about pets including a nonfiction selection about White House Pets. Our oral vocabulary words are adorable, dear, needs, sensible, and train. We will continue the comprehension strategy of analyzing story structure using the skill of recognizing parts of the plot. Our sight words will be come, down, good, pull. In spelling we will focus on words having an initial consonant blend with the letter 'l' (fl-, pl-, cl-). We will continue working our way through seminar.  Students will continue publishing personal informational and writing personal narrative pieces. 

In Social Science we will discuss traditions in a variety of contexts, for example, the classroom, community, and family. (HSS 1.5.1) We will also begin comparing the past with the present (tested) reading a nonfiction selection titled Learn About the Past. 

Topic 2 Math Test Results

Of 21 recorded scores on the Topic 2 Math Test, 14 students passed with an adjusted score of 14 or better. One student scored 23.

Twenty-Fourth Day of School

We will very likely take Math Test Topic 2 on Thursday or Friday.

Notices of Unsatisfactory Performance will be sent home next week. Students not passing a significant portion of the dynamic reading indicator test or one or both of the math tests will likely receive an Unsatisfactory Notice. As discussed at Back-to-School Night, this is only to notify parents that their child could possibly score less than a 3 in Reading, Writing, or Math on the first reporting period. It is more than likely that your child does not even have to be aware that they are receiving an Unsatisfactory Notice at this time (unless there is an indication that their behavior or effort is less than satisfactory).

Unit 1 Week 3 Preview

In this week's instruction we focus on  how we will change and how we have changed as we grow. If your child would like to bring in a photo showing themselves as a baby, we could display these and guess who they grew into. We will also explore how animals change as they grow. We will draw conclusions about animals that change greatly and those that may only change in size as they mature. We will analyze text for character, setting, and plot. We will focus on spelling patterns: -in, -it, -iss. Our oral vocabulary words will be change, adult, learn, imitate, and practice. Our reading sight words will be be, ride, and run. In grammar we will distinguish between statements and questions. We will continue with digitization of our personal informational piece and begin on personal narrative.

In Social Science, we will discuss the difference between rights and responsibilities and what they mean for United States citizenship (HSS 1.1).

In Math we will finish up work on topic 2.

In Health we discuss how our relationship with our friends can affect our health.

In Science we continue comparing properties of various solids. We use our insight into these properties to perform an investigation.

In PE we continue to work with team members to accomplish goals. Due to weather considerations we may have indoor PE on Monday and Tuesday.

Twentieth Day of School

Students have begun to digitize their personal information pieces. As students continue to finish, we will begin our writing unit on personal narratives.

In Social Science we discussed traditions by way of comparison to Australian "First People."

Nineteenth Day of School

Today we began writing our personal informational writing paragraphs. Some students were able to complete the task. In Social Science the children were able to come up with the entire list of people/animal survival needs and prioritize them (tested). Our list is:

1. Air
2. Water 
3. Food
4. Shelter

Sometimes clothing and love (loved ones or companionship) are considered necessities outside of the top 4.

For discussion:

• What is the topic of your personal informational paper you wrote today?
• What are the basic survival needs of humans and animals in order from greater to lesser importance?
• Retell the story The Great Rope Tug

Eighteenth Day of School

Now that we have our list of small moments, each child will receive a yellow writer's folder to store work in progress. This folder will be sent home to be covered with parent's assistance. With child and parent working together, cover the folder with items of your child's interest. These images will be used to spark the writer's imagination when needed for writing details or writing topics. The items on the folder should be things which evoke memories or which the child is passionate about. Examples might include: photos of relatives, photos of memorable moments, logos from a favorite toy or game, invitations from a birthday party, or pictures of a favorite animal. Please return folders the week of the Sept. 15th.

Today we had our third drama lesson and practiced our newly acquired skills of focus and pantomime. Next week we will begin work on creating tableau.

For oral language we analyzed the structure and summarized a selection without a plot. The book was Eric Carle's Head to Toe. A summary is contrasted by a retell in that it is a one sentence account of the main parts of a selection. It will generally answer the questions where, when, who, did what, how/why, and what was the theme?

Once upon a time, a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood failed to heed her mother's instructions while walking to her grandmother's house to deliver baked goods.

 At home, a little boy named David, gets into trouble by not following rules and not using manners.

Summarizing is an excellent skill to practice after reading a book with an adult. It can be a shared activity.

Unit 1 Week 2 Preview

During week 2 we discuss how physical activity is an important part of our lives. We learn how activity keeps our bodies healthy and strong. Our oral vocabulary words are movement, energy, express, exhausted, and stretch. Our sight words are: it, over, too. We will analyze story structure to discover selections with patterned text. Examples of famous patterned text are Monday, Monday, I like Monday (Bill Martin Jr.), and The Important Book (Margaret Wise Brown). Ask your librarian for other examples. Patterned texts often become bedtime favorites and re-reading them is a good way to build fluency. We will not often use a patterned text for retelling purposes. We will read the West African folktale The Great Rope Tug and diagram the story together using a Flow Map to highlight the beginning, middle, and end. We will continue to encode and decode single syllable words with short vowels (a, e, i). We will listen to rhyme, movement, and rhythm in poetry.

In Social Science we will look briefly to the original people of Australia and learn that a tradition is a special way of doing something. often repeated annually that becomes part of a people's culture.

For discussion: What is a tradition? What traditions does your family share?

For Math we will continue our exploration of subtraction.

In Science, we will continue our exploration of matter. We will focus on solids by identifying various properties of solids.

In PE we will continues with tossing and passing balls and other objects.

Seventeenth Day of School

Today we retold the fantasy story Sam and Pam in pairs. Our retellings were judged on the criteria of clarity, completeness, accuracy, and interest.

In Science we discussed the forms of matter. We constructed a Tree Map for the 3 forms.

Mandatory Homework Assignment for Parents

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be focusing on the genre of personal narratives and for writing instruction and independent writing practice. As discussed at Back-to-School Night,  here is a description of your (the parent with input from student) work.

The Assignment:

Over the next few days, construct a list of memorable events. These individual events should be about moments which occur across a time span of approximately 20 minutes maximum in length. Each event should have an identifiable emotion (or two) attached to it (fear, happiness, surprise).

Examples of events which will not work:

• My Day at Disneyland
• Christmas Morning
• My Birthday Party
• The Winning Game

Examples of events which will work:

• Meeting Cinderella
• Opening My Favorite Gift
• Breaking the Pinata
• Scoring the Winning Goal

Try to make a list of at least 10 memorable moments. We will refer to this list as our list of Memorable Moments. Hopefully your child will be able to construct at least 3 narratives from events in the list. They will eventually be choosing from among those narratives one which they focus on for elaboration, revising, and editing for publication.

Please finish your lists up this weekend. If all goes as planned we should begin work with our lists next week.

Topic 1 Math Test Results

Of the 20 recorded tests taken 15 students passed with a score of 12 or better. One student scored perfectly, and another child scored a 23. There was a bimodal result of 16 and 19.

Fifteenth Day of School

Today we generated questions (CCSS R.1.1) based on our Alexander Graham Bell oral language reading. For Discussion:

• What did Alexander Graham Bell like to do?
• Why was he interested in sound?
• What did his mom teach him how to do?
• What was Alexander Graham Bell known for?
• What else can you say about Alexander Graham Bell?

Students should be able to answer questions fluently in complete sentences. This is an oral language activity.

Several homework papers were sent back home to be completed. Complete with y our child and return. Students with completed papers got a bonus. Homework bonuses will be awarded from time-to-time without notice.

Today we took our first Math Test (topic 1).

Please make sure your child comes to school on time. At only 15 days of school, some children are already developing a habit of tardiness. A tardiness not only affects the tardy child but takes instruction time away from the other children. A special thank you to those who get their children to time every day. This habit shows respect for your education, respect for the other people in your classroom, and overall dependability.

Again, thank you to those parents who have already turned in a flash drive.

If you have already turned in your child's small moments, they have been checked and were fine; your diligence is appreciated.

Notes on Topic One Math Test

Sample questions:

• Use these numbers to write 4 addition math sentences (equations):

       2   8   6

answer: [2 + 6 = 8, 6 + 2 = 8, 8 = 2 + 6, 8 = 6 + 2]

• There are 4 chairs at the table. 
• How many chair legs is that in all? (complete sentence 1pt.)
• Draw a model, a picture, or explain how you got your answer in words. (1pt.)
• Write a math sentence (equation) which supports your answer (1pt.)

• Five children are playing a game. Three more come to join them.
• Make a model to solve. (1pt.)
• Write a number sentence. (1pt)

Unit 1 Week 1 Preview

As a part of our theme: What Makes Us Special, our focus questions are: What do we like to do, and how do the things we like to do make us special? We will discover that the things we like to do help to make us who we are. Our vocabulary words for the week are cheerful, interest, unique, prefer, and genuine. We will analyze story structure for the beginning, middle, and end (comprehension strategy). We learn that this is the way that most realistic fiction stories are structured and that good readers pay attention to these parts (R 1.3.1). We will also pay special attention to the characters and setting of stories (comprehension skill). In phonics we will blend words and identify rhymes with short 'a' and short 'i'. Our reading sight words for the week are jump, not, up. In grammar we will discuss how a sentence tells a whole idea. We will continue with our Unit Project while referring to our 2 previously constructed Thinking Maps. We will analyze the structure of the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. We will analyze how an author develops character by what they say and do. In writing we discuss and practice how using describing words adds detail and interest. We will listen to the fable, Town Mouse and Country Mouse, and discover how preferences make characters unique. We will read an informational text and use structure to deduce main idea.

In Science we will make a connection between what we have been learning in music and what we know about Alexander Graham Bell and discuss the discipline of acoustical science and engineering. In life science we discuss basic needs of people and animals using the vocabulary: shelter, energy.

In Math we will begin Topic 2 exploring subtraction.

In P.E. we will work on balance, catch and toss to ourselves and to a partner.

• How are you different than other people in your family/class? How is your family different than other families?
• What are the states of matter?
• What does an animal need in order to survive? 

Additional Information

If your child is reading a Junie B. Jones or similar (Magic Tree House) chapter book, each chapter may count as a title on the reading log.

It was stated that 3 perfect Math scores must be achieved for a score of 4 on the report card for each reporting period. What was not mentioned is that one of those 3 must be from the district periodic math assessment. One assessment is usually administered each reporting period.

Enjoy your holiday weekend.

Reflections on Back-to-School

Thank you all for coming to our Back-to-School Night. Hopefully you received useful information to help you help your child be extra successful this year. It was nice to see everyone. I think we had a representative from every family except one.

Please note: what was said about Lexile measured texts may have been a bit misleading. To clarify, not every book a child reads will be measured with a Lexile score. There are different ways that books are leveled. So not everything your child reads or will be interested in reading will have a score. It may be sufficient to tell a local librarian (at least to begin with) what grade your child is in and whether or not they are currently a strong reader. Note that picture books are written at all reading levels,  including adult advanced levels. Make sure to check out fiction as well as non-fiction.

Additionally (and importantly), every book that you check out will not necessarily be on your child's reading level. You will check out books above their level where you will become the expert reader and track your reading with your finger as you read aloud. Some books will be at and below your child's level. Some books will be for pure enjoyment and simply read for the joy of hearing language out loud.

Feel free to be as creative as you like with the outside projects. The more important you make school, the more important it will become for your child. For example, one family took it upon themselves to build a globe for a Social Science project which is still in the classroom and used for instruction. Keep in mind some suggestions will be included from time to time in the daily message. It may not have been clear that if your child makes a speech to run for Class President, that will count for outside work. Another idea might be to learn a sentence  or short poem to share with the class in Standard American Sign Language. Feel free to make digital projects as well which we can transfer to your child's flash drive. For example, you could create a Glogster or Prezi account and work with your child to create a digital poster or presentation (This has the added benefit of teaching computer literacy as well as being free to make).

Not mentioned tonight:

• One way for your child to earn one star on the "Star Chart" is to have them bring a book to school checked out from an outside library (Carson Public Library).
• Information on Science and Social Science tests (as well as some other subjects) was not mentioned. Look for information on this site to be forthcoming.
• It was stated that 3 perfect math scores must be achieved for a score of 4 on the report card for each reporting period. What was not mentioned is that one of those 3 must be from the district periodic math assessment. One assessment is usually administered each reporting period.

Eleventh Day of School

For Discussion:

• In what ways do children in other countries have similar "lost tooth" traditions to those of children in the U.S.?
• In what ways are the tooth traditions of foreign countries different?
• Why do Japanese children throw their bottom teeth up on the roof?

Smart Start Week 3 Preview

Our third and final review week will reintroduce us to non-fiction texts with information organized in two ways, chronologically in a biography of Alexander Graham Bell and geographically in a survey of traditions regarding lost tooth lore around the world (CCSS R.1.5). We will generate questions (CCSS R.1.1) about a non-fiction text to be answered in an interview style retelling. We will use visualization as a tool to recall words and phrases in a poem which appeal to the senses (CCSS R.1.4).

We will review the the high-frequency sight words what, for, here, little, was, my, look, has, where, with , me. We will also continue and complete our review of letter formation and sound. We will take our first personal narrative writing test.

In music, we will explore the science of sound that fascinated A.G. Bell and discover differences in high and low-pitched sounds (tested) and how they are produced. Later we will explore the important element of rhythm (tested).

In Math we continue to see numbers as a whole made up of two smaller parts and create models to illustrate this idea (CCSS 1.OA.1, 1.OA.4, 1.OA.7) (tested).

In PE we will continue with different forms of locomotion.

Eighth Day of School

Today we learned the difference between columns and rows. We learned the characteristics of a fable and listened to The Tortoise and the Hare. 

We finished the day with our 3rd Violence Prevention (Second Step) lesson.

Reminder: for safety, students are only allowed to wear stud-type earrings, no hoops. Students are required to wear shoes with socks. We have PE everyday; please send your child to school in sensible sturdy shoes preferably fastened with a tie or Velcro strap. Think safety and performance over fashion. Please also note on the dress code, leggings are not to be worn without an appropriate over-garment such as an extra long top or a skirt. In other words, leggings do not substitute as pants. 

Seventh Day of School

Today we completed our first individual math report. The session went very well.
The problem:

In a nearby classroom, there are are 10 students. How many student eyes are in that classroom?

It is looking like we will have our first Math Test at the end of next week.

We are still in the process of taking the initial battery of reading assessments.

Soon, we will take our writing first writing assessment.

Please do not forget that Back-to-School Night is one week away. We will have the opportunity to discuss some things that we will not again have the opportunity to discuss. Plan to have a representative from your family attend this meeting. Due to limited space and the nature of the material covered, it is advised that students not attend this meeting if possible. Our discussion will begin very soon after 5:30 in order to include all of the material.

Sixth Day of School

It is apparent there are some good homework helpers out there. Good responses for our first short answer question on the math homework. A couple were sent back not necessarily for being incorrect, but for being incomplete ideas.

More information about homework and parallels to testing will be discussed at Back-to-School Night on the 27th.  

Each child was assigned a number today which should appear after their name on homework and class assignments.

The first month's reading log was sent home today and is due on the last day of instruction in August. Three completed reading logs are required in order to earn a '3' in homework during each reporting period.

Fifth Day of School

Today we had our first drama lesson with Ms. Jordahl. We identified and used our 3 drama tools (body, mind, and voice).

We retold and sequenced events from the folktale The 3 Little Pigs.

In Math we worked with the parts of 8. We then had our first math report discussion. We discussed this problem:

In my yard there is a large tree with a big hole in the trunk. Last night I looked into the hole and saw 10 eyes look out of the hole at me. What was looking back at me? Explain your answer using a picture, model, and math sentence.

We finished the day with our second Violence Prevention Lesson (Second Step).

Smart Start Week 2 Preview

We will continue reviewing letter sounds, proper writing formation, rhyme, and syllabication. We are analyzing narrative structure for plot (tested CCSS R.1.3).

By the end of the 3rd  Smart Start week we will have reviewed the following high-frequency sight words: a, I, can, we, like, see, the, go , to have, play, you, he, is, and, she, are, said, do, this, for, what, here, little, my, was.

We are practicing sequencing and retelling (tested CCSS R.1.1) important events of a narrative.

We will continue our personal information project piece.

We will continue with balance in PE as well as practicing moving while maintaining personal space.

Third Day of School

Today we had our first blending lesson. We learned the importance of raising our hand to ask questions and listening to other student's responses. We also learned how we were required to raise our hand during blending if we needed clarification.

In math we again discussed models and representations of numbers. We then worked in teams to create models using our bodies as counters.

No homework tonight.

Second Day of School

If your child brings back homework that needs to be corrected. Discuss the misunderstanding and return the corrected work to school.

Today we briefly discussed the parts of a fictional narrative plot (The Little Engine That Could).

• The beginning (answers the questions who?, when?, and where?): A little engine was on its way over a mountain to bring toys and treats to the good boys and girls in the city.
• The middle (introduces the dilemma): The engine broke down and couldn't make it over the mountain. All the engines they asked for help would not help them.
• The end (solves the problem): Finally, a kind blue engine stopped to offer help and pulled the treat-filled train up over the mountain.

We have also begun the the initial battery of reading measurements which will be described in further detail at Back-to-School Night.

Smart Start Week 1 Preview

For the first 3 weeks in Language Arts, we will review many of the concepts learned in Kindergarten. We will review the Kindergarten sight words as well as letter sounds and proper writing formation. We will also review rhyme and syllable segmentation.  We will learn how to describe ourselves in order to begin our first theme project: a personal informational book about ourselves.

In Math we will review number sense concepts emphasizing visual patterns and ideas for the numbers 0-12. We will begin our first topic: Understanding Addition (1.OA.1). We will be representing and solving problems using addition and subtraction.

In PE we will focus on balance and cooperation.

Flash Drive

It would be appreciated if, as soon as possible, you would send a 2GB (or larger) size thumb or flash drive to school with your child so that we may begin the process of building their digital portfolio. It would be extra helpful if the drive was somehow identifiable with your child's name. This may be accomplished by attaching a lanyard and writing their name on the lanyard or attaching a label to the lanyard. Getting the flash drives early from everyone prevents the need to take extra time to transfer files 2 or 3 times.

A 2-4GB drive should be large enough to hold all digital projects through 5th grade.

Welcome to Room 11

This blog has been created to keep parents and guardians of the students in Room 11 at Caroldale Learning Community informed about daily activities in our classroom and school. Please discuss what you read here with your children when appropriate. Ask them clarifying questions. They don't necessarily need to know how you know what happened during their day, they should simply know that you are informed.

Feel free to  respond to what you read by posting a comment or question. Avoid including students' names when responding to posts. General comments and questions are best in this arena.

Please remember the most efficient way to communicate with me on timely issues is to write a note on or attached to your child's homework. For convenience, you might consider linking to this page through an rss feed or through the google reader application.

I am also available for conferences after school most days except Tuesdays. It is okay to drop by without an appointment with questions and concerns.

Thank you,

Mr. B